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Topic: Vatican Seeks Signs of Alien Life (Read 3665 times)

Four hundred years after it locked up Galileo for challenging the view that the Earth was the center of the universe, the Vatican has called in experts to study the possibility of extraterrestrial alien life and its implication for the Catholic Church.

"The questions of life's origins and of whether life exists elsewhere in the universe are very suitable and deserve serious consideration," said the Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, an astronomer and director of the Vatican Observatory.

Funes, a Jesuit priest, presented the results Tuesday of a five-day conference that gathered astronomers, physicists, biologists and other experts to discuss the budding field of astrobiology — the study of the origin of life and its existence elsewhere in the cosmos.

Funes said the possibility of alien life raises "many philosophical and theological implications" but added that the gathering was mainly focused on the scientific perspective and how different disciplines can be used to explore the issue...

As a result of a thousand million years of evolution, the universe is becoming conscious of itself, able to understand something of its past history and its possible future.-- Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS

I'm not one to say nice things about the Catholic Church on a regular basis, but credit must be given where credit is due. I've actually been fairly impressed by the quality of scientists and science that seems to come out of the Vatican Observatory these days. This is combined with a rather progressive and open minded approach to scientific questions and a fostering of legitimate scientific discussion. Who, a few hundred years ago, could have guessed that the Vatican would be sponsoring seminars on astrobiology...heck, they were still burning people at the stake for suggesting it as a possibility.

^^ I'd have to disagree. The pursuit of science and information about the nature of the universe (including extraterrestrial life) is one of the noblest of causes.

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As a result of a thousand million years of evolution, the universe is becoming conscious of itself, able to understand something of its past history and its possible future.-- Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS

Well shucks, Vlad, your comment reminds me of this passage from the Bible...

"For though I be free from all men, yet have I will repeat myself to all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I said to become Orthodox, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, I said to become Orthodox, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, I said become Orthodox, that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak I said become Orthodox, that I might gain the weak: thus that all men might become Orthodox, because there's no way I'm engaging with the cultures around me, but I'll gladly extend an offer to become Orthodox to anyone who wants to convert. So if some will become Orthodox, they will be saved." - 1 Cor. 9:19-22

If you will, you can become all flame.Extra caritatem nulla salus.In order to become whole, take the "I" out of "holiness". सर्वभूतहितἌνω σχῶμεν τὰς καρδίας"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is." -- Mohandas GandhiY dduw bo'r diolch.

"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."" Isaac Asimov